Thread by @up_again

Thread; I’ve been told by several that one of Corbyn’s failings was not being inclusive in Cabinet. I disagree. Reasons why. A Cabinet is a team. They have to collectively sell a consistent message and a narrative told from different perspectives

2. Bringing many different views into a group who will be hounded and man-marked by the press from day 1 is not, in my view, the way to create a ‘team’ that can forge ahead. The analogy I would use is Liverpool FC. Would Klopp bring in those who ignore the agreed game plan?

3. Randomly brief the press on dissent in the changing room and amongst the staff. Pick at the Training staff tactics and capabilities? Go behind the Trainers back to set up their own training sessions? Lose matches and blame the Manager? Ignore the fans completely....

4. One of the few things Johnson/Cummings did I agree with was; (i) make every member of tory-cabinet swear loyalty (ii) sack anyone who wouldn’t (iii) maintain that discipline. We HAVE to toughen up to win.

5. Dissent is for the back benches and should be managed through a complaints process

6. We need more Member lead democracy and not less. Open the doors. Make meetings 21st Century use Zoom, Skype or whatever for those who can’t be present. Judge CLPs based on members engaged so many won’t or can’t go near

6. The press have shown through their constant attacks and vilification of Corbyn, where >75% of press coverage misrepresented him, that they will go to any lengths to protect the status quo. They want shades of tory ping-pong. It suits their ideological agenda

7. Corbyn was strong, tough, resilient. He survived. His family too. We need a better strategy than survival. When a bully, with power attacks one animal their pack intervene to protect and support. I think a few did that for Corbyn. But the current set up and deputy disaster

8. a team would have supported throughout.
After 2015 Corbyn’s Cabinet came from all sections of the Party. They got nothing done. Fought.
If we were a Remain Party how much did they do? Did they fight as a team? Work together to support Corbyn as he endlessly toured

9. the country? No is my view. They fought, briefed against. Conspired.
After the Chicken Coup lead by the likes of Watson, Starmer and Cooper we got tighter. It took the Members twice and in ever increasing number fighting the PLP. Then came 2017 Election. We came so close

10. What happened after 2017. The Centrists doubled down on return to blairism. The briefing against became constant. Watson positioned himself for take-over. Took out some key figures like Wadsworth and Williamson. The AS machine went into over-drive.

11. We went into 2019 Election with a weak defence. The Cabinet team was broken. Most trying to support Corbyn while others undermined him. We cannot be in this position again.

12. The Centrists say they want to win. The only way is play the game. Go back to being an alternative Tory Party with a social conscience. They say we are not realists and don’t truly want to win or we’d buy this snake oil.
No. No. No.

13. We want to win. We need to win. We don’t do this by going back. We go forward, we need a way of selling what we have, hope, in a narrative that resonates with people. People need hope. My view from my conversations was saying ‘we deserve’ ‘why can’t we have what they have?’

14. But what did land was when I talked of wanting to be proud of my country. Wanting to be able to say we have great jobs, great places to live, well being, services to protect and support us, all while not dealing and getting in bed with some of the shitiest people on earth

15. A narrative of hope. Instead of being able at the last election to spend time on this, I ended up spending ages on Referendum 2 the so called People’s Vote and then why was Corbyn on the fence.
We win when our narrative is simple and full of hope.

16. Our strategists got it wrong. This is a lesson to take away. We had a complex brexit message. Agreed we had to get off this as much as possible. The kitchen sink was not a good way to go. Cumulate into; Putting people first or whatever message we chose.

17. People before Privilege didn’t take off. We reverted to For The Many. So our Manifesto and messages should have all come back to that single thought. When you know the entire media is against you, KISS keep it simple stupid!! We need to start now. Narrative takes time to land

18. Last one; so full circle. We need a team. Selling a single narrative. Starting from May in Locals. Springing a load of stuff on the electorate in an election is not a strategy. It doesn’t work. If we are For The Many tell our story and sell hope through this. We will WIN 🌹🌹